The Chicky Girls

August 14, 2014happicultrice 2 Comments

One of the tasks on my job description is Checking the Chicks. I try to keep them roughly together, with limited success. Let me introduce the Chicky Girls. Four lovely egg-laying hens. Lovely hens, lovely eggs.

The leader of the pack is very definitely Harriet. She is by far the most brazen and bold. She knows she really shouldn’t be in the kitchen. Their day starts when they are released from their compound and they head straight over to the house for breakfast. A generous handful of corn each. They then pootle about all day, rummaging around in the grass and undergrowth. Occasionally one will head back to the hen house to lay an egg, and then emerge squawking madly trying to relocate her sisters.

Come evening they head back to their compound, tummies full. And are locked in for the night. This is because we have regular, unwelcome visits from our neighbour, the Fox… He is not our friend.

A Tale of Two Hives

August 10, 2014happicultrice 6 Comments

We were rejigging the strawberry patch. I have made an Observation about the vegetable patch. During a couple of weekends in late spring, They put plants into the ground, and then spend all the rest of the summer pulling other plants out.

Andy says its called Weeding. It seems to take up an inordinate amount of time.

Blog_pot1r

There was a strange noise – it started as a low hum, and got louder and louder. And then a black cloud came low over the trees. Aaarghh, a swarm of bees coming straight at us. Run for cover.

We made it indoors and luckily they buzzed off quite quickly. But from whence had they come? Time to check out our hives.

Hive Bee was fine and dandy. Lots of bees and lots of lovely, sticky honey.

Sadly the same could not be said for Hive A. It was completely infested with Wax Moth, and it must have been our bees who had just emigrated. The hive was in a right old state. Quite repulsive. Upsetting. And needing some urgent action.

As there were no bees in residence, no viable colony, it was an easy decision to simply destroy the whole lot. All the frames were thrown on the bonfire and burnt.

And the shell of the hive thoroughly cleaned out. It will be treated with a blow torch too to get rid of any remaining eggs. And will be beepopulated next year.

To end on a happy note, here is a Carpeneter Bee either pollinating or being pollenated by a Passion Flower.

Walking with Destiny

August 5, 2014happicultrice 2 Comments

One of my very favouritest places in all the world is The Lake.

We go there often, and run and run. And swim and paddle. Chase fish. And birds.

Genepi rescues drowning sticks. Often we have the whole place to ourselves.

Today we had some Special Visitors.

Let me introduce Destiny, my No. 1 lady. Mother of my children. We had a planned pregnancy. Six kids in all.

She brought our daughter, Gibsie (Genepi’s sister), together with the Big Aunties, Eden and Delphi.

And we all went to The Lake, all 6 of us. Plus Dallas and Isabel, our chauffeurs.

Genepi and Gibsie played racing games. They are both dead fast. And they love being together.

Destiny did sticks. I did my own thing. And the Big Aunties had a play fight.

Eden is a Pyrenean Mountain Dog (with a hint of polar bear). Delphi is a softie, with gorgeous eyes (don’t tell Destiny I said that).

Reine Claude keep falling on my head

August 3, 2014happicultrice 2 Comments

Reine Claude plums (aka Greengages)

I’m avoiding walking under the ancient pear tree at the moment. Too hazardous. If the falling pears don’t get you on the noggin, then the wasps feasting on the rotten fruit might.

So, when Andy and Dallas started collecting the plums, I was hesitant to participate, being au fait with the perils to be had in an orchard. Indeed, for every plum plucked by hand, two fell of their own accord.

Genepi is more gung ho than me, so braved standing near the trees.

They collected basket after basket of fruit, mostly greengages, but also some Bramley apples, dark plums and pears. Now the kitchen table is laden. Question is what to do with it all. Dallas ran a few ideas past me, but frankly, for fruit-based recipes I’m next to useless.

Although I do like to help in the kitchen.

We have just finished a big batch of Greengage, Apple, Chilli & Ginger chutney and some Greengage & Vanilla Jam.

Mouse helped to reduce the glut, by turning a plum into a football. For about 2 minutes. Then it squished all over the tiles.

Back to the Grindstone

July 28, 2014happicultrice Leave a comment

Having an eye scraped, nay dremeled, at 9 o’clock on a Monday morning is a crappy way to start the week. No breakfast. Early start. Light sedation. 30 minute op.

I have had another round of the old Corneal Epithelial Debridement. This time to accelerate my already impressive recovery. The opthalmo is pleased with my progress, and last Friday declared my eye free of infection. The cornea is clearing nicely, and he felt that he could hurry things along by performing today’s procedure.

Dallas picked me up at midday and I felt like this…

I have had a bit of a snooze and the odd whimper. Six hours post op and we have just been for a romp in the orchard and I’m starting to feel a lot better. More in focus…

Next appointment isn’t for 3 weeks. I will keep you posted.

I sense a disturbance in the force

July 22, 2014happicultrice 2 Comments

Something’s afoot. A fluctuation in the force.

Jedi Genepi has felt it. Just now her ears were right back. Tail between the legs. Desperate to get out. She’s gone into hiding.

Darth Splodge is also behaving oddly. More hissy and grumpy and sourpuss than ever. If thats possible.

Death Stare

It all started when Dallas came back with a bright orange basket. It smelt odd. Unpleasant. Strange noises. What in the name of Beelzebub is going on?

So, here’s the thing. What do you need if you have two, lively, demanding Border Collies? A kitten. Genius.

She’s not even black and white.

Do I look like I’m from the Dark Side?

She’s actually a feisty, wee thing. Not scared of us at all. Which is wrong. Very affectionate. Ridiculously playful.

By the way, They have called her Mouse.

I think I’m going to like her! She is my Princess Mouse. Am I a Rebel?

Buried Treasure

July 18, 2014happicultrice Leave a comment

Yesterday we were playing, I mean investigating, down at the Fallen Oak.

The Fallen Oak toppled over about 2 years ago. It was a sad moment, because it was a magnificent tree and old. Dallas measured its girth. It came out at 360 cms. Which roughly translates to be about 180 years old. This tree started life at around the time that Queen Victoria ascended to the throne, Chicago became a city, the first steamboats crossed the Atlantic and Lea & Perrins invented Worcester sauce.

The good news is that its not completely dead. One half of it still has leaves. I’m told that they call this a Phoenix Oak.

One of us must have dislodged some earth, because Dallas suddenly noticed a little turquoise coloured box. Sat inside a bigger rusty tin. What could it be? A late Roman lunch box? A Pre French Revolution tin of cookies (Bourbon biscuits)?

Dallas said we should come back, and do an Archaeological Dig. She said Dig. Yippee.

So today we set to. In archaeological terms, the preparation was shabby. Slapdash. No theodolite. No datum. No geofizz. Just a trowel. And the wrong sort of trowel at that.

Im detecting very little but pure iron oxide

Well, Sutton Hoo it wasn’t. No golden doubloons, no exquisite religious relics. Just a handful of old rusty washers, some nails and some random bits of ironwork. What an anticlimax!

Oh well, at least we had fun in the sun.

Spoil sport farmer

July 15, 2014happicultrice Leave a comment

Genepi and I love playing hide and seek. But they’ve only gone and destroyed our favourite field.

Me hiding – can you spot me?

For a few months now, part of our favourite walk has involved this field – if I’m not mistaken its wheat. Its fun to run through, and there’s loads of animal scents to be had. I like to leap up and down like a young gazelle.

Anyway, for some reason, its all been chopped down. A big, yellow, noisy machine came this afternoon, creating clouds of dust. It munched through the stems.

Wanton destruction. There should be a law against it.

I guess we’ll have to invent a new game. Probably one that involves sunflowers.

Neat and Tidy

July 13, 2014happicultrice 1 Comment

The garden is neat and tidy – certainly not me. Boy, have I worked hard this afternoon!

Genepi here. Blog is having a nap, so I’ve hijacked his blog. He’s going to be livid, but hey ho. Wanted to tell you that I just had a smashing time doing one of my All Time Favourite Jobs – strimming. Andy did the swaying from side to side bit, holding the thing, and I did the running around in circles and barking a lot bit.

Andy helping me with the strimming

Hard graft but very satisfying – gardening can be like that, can’t it. Wonder if I’ll ever get clean.

We stopped work briefly because of an Interruption. This baby bird had flown into a window, and was all dazed and confused. Dallas comforted it for about 5 minutes, it came round and flew off. Phew.

we’re thinking that this is a baby blackbird

Looks like Blog is coming round too – best go!

Feeling alot less ruff

July 4, 2014happicultrice 3 Comments

Just back from the ophthalmologist, who was very pleased with my progress. He put a stain in my eye, and could see that the affected area had diminished quite a bit in 3 days.

neon green – on trend, but not really my colour?

So, the Good News is that I am on the mend, and …. drum roll …. I can lose the collar. Hurrah! Andy and Dallas said they found it tiresome that I kept crashing into furniture, misjudging doors and bashing into the backs of their legs.

Huh – THEY found it tiresome – what about me!

Question now is what to do with the hateful lump of plastic. I’d like to destroy it, smash it to smithereens. Brainiac-style. Dallas thinks we might be able to re-purpose it (dreadful expression). But what could it be used for?

Please let me know if you have any eyedeas (thanks Uncle Graham)

Love, Bloggie the Free

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